Apple’s new iPhone 3G S – 2x faster, 32GB, 3MP camera and video

June 8, 2009 Apple finally delivered the new iPhone 3G S today, with more power, speed, battery life, and a 32GB flagship model. Major features include a 3mp camera, video recording and hands free voice control. There’s also the iPhone OS 3.0 operating system with 100+ new features including cut and paste, MMS, “Spotlight Search”, and a landscape keyboard. The entry level price for the existing 8 GB 3G model dropped to USD$99, with the 3G S 16GB model coming in at $200 and the 32GB model at $300 .

“iPhone 3G S is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet and we think people will love the incredible new features including autofocus camera, video recording and the freedom of voice control,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of WorldWide Product Marketing. “And with a breakthrough price of USD$99, we are thrilled to get iPhone 3G into the hands of even more users who want them.”

iPhone 3G S offers incredible speed and performance, on average up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G, so you can render web pages quicker and launch applications faster. iPhone 3G S takes advantage of the OpenGL ES 2.0 standard for stunning high-quality 3D graphics, making mobile gaming and other graphic intense applications better than ever. iPhone 3G S is not only faster, but with longer battery life you can watch more videos, listen to more music, browse the Internet or keep using your favorite apps even longer. The new iPhone 3G S also supports 7.2 Mbps HSDPA for faster networking speeds.

iPhone 3G S features a new 3 megapixel autofocus camera that takes amazing pictures and video, making it easier than ever to capture, edit and share those moments instantly with family and friends. The new autofocus camera adjusts focus, exposure, color and contrast for the best possible image and includes an automatic macro focus for extra close up shots. With the new “tap to focus” feature, you simply touch the display to select an object or area of interest and the camera automatically re-adjusts focus and exposure. You can record incredible high-quality video clips and edit them right on your iPhone 3G S by simply trimming the start and stop points. With iPhone 3G S you can send photos and video by email or MMS and post them to MobileMe or YouTube with just one tap.

The voice control feature in iPhone 3G S offers hands free operation for both iPhone and iPod functions. Simply speak the appropriate commands into the built-in microphone or headset microphone to dial by name or number. With voice control you can play your favorite music by artist, album or playlist and activate the Genius feature by saying “play more songs like this.” You can also tell iPhone to pause the music, play the next track, turn on shuffle or ask, “What’s playing right now?”

iPhone 3G S features a new built-in digital compass for instant navigation. The Compass app shows you which way you are headed and rotates as you change direction. You can orient yourself to true north or magnetic north, and iPhone’s built-in GPS automatically displays the coordinates of your current location. The new built-in digital compass is also integrated within Maps, so it automatically orients any map to the direction you are facing.

iPhone 3G S provides new accessibility features including VoiceOver, a screen reader that speaks what appears on the iPhone 3G S display, enabling visually impaired users to make calls, read email, browse web pages, play music and run applications. The new universal Zoom function magnifies the entire screen, and the White on Black feature reverses the colors on screen to provide higher contrast for people with low vision. iPhone 3G S also supports Mono Audio which combines left and right audio channels so that they can be heard in both earbuds for those with hearing loss in one ear.

iPhone 3G S includes the new iPhone OS 3.0 software with more than 100 new features including: Cut, Copy and Paste; MMS; Spotlight Search to search across iPhone or within Mail, Contacts, Calendar and iPod; landscape keyboard for Mail, Messages, Notes and Safari; expanded parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and the ability to capture and send audio recordings on the go with the new Voice Memo app. iPhone 3.0 software also includes a new Find My iPhone feature that works together with MobileMe so you can locate your lost iPhone on a map, send a message that will appear on the screen or play a sound to help you find it even if your phone is set to silent. If you cannot find your iPhone, you can erase all data and content on your iPhone with the new Remote Wipe feature. New iTunes features available with iPhone 3.0 software include wirelessly downloading movies, TV and audio programs as well as iTunes U so students can download learning materials on the go.

iPhone 3G S gives users access to the revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world with more than 50,000 applications. The App Store allows developers to reach tens of millions of iPhone and iPod touch users around the world. To date, customers have downloaded more than one billion apps from the App Store. And with more than 1,000 new APIs available with the iPhone SDK, developers can create even more innovative applications using In-App Purchases, a new Maps API and Push Notifications.

iPhone 3G S also features built-in Nike + iPod support making it an incredible workout companion. Users simply place the optional Nike + iPod sensor ($19) in their Nike + shoe to seamlessly connect with iPhone 3G S to track miles run or sync with the latest generation gym equipment.

Pricing & Availability iPhone 3G S will be available in the US on June 19 for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and just $299 (US) for the new 32GB model in both Apple and AT&T’s retail and online stores, Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores. iPhone 3G S requires a new two year contract with AT&T for qualifying customers. iPhone OS 3.0 software will be available on June 17 as a free software update via iTunes 8.2 or later for all iPhone customers. iPod touch customers will be able to purchase a software update for $9.95 (US). Beginning June 8, iPhone 3G will be available for just $99 (US) for the 8GB model. New MobileMe features for iPhone require iPhone OS 3.0. MobileMe is available for an annual subscription price of $99 (US).

No fine detail is yet available on availability in non-U.S. markets other than the statement “iPhone 3G S will also be available in more than 80 countries in the coming weeks.”

Mike grew up thinking he would become a mathematician, accidentally started motorcycle racing, got a job writing road tests for a motorcycle magazine while at university, and became a writer. As a travelling photojournalist during his early career, his work was published in a dozen languages across 20+ countries. He went on to edit or manage over 50 print publications, with target audiences ranging from pensioners to plumbers, many different sports, many car and motorcycle magazines, with many more in the fields of communication - narrow subject magazines on topics such as advertising, marketing, visual communications, design, presentation and direct marketing. Then came the internet and Mike managed internet projects for Australia's largest multimedia company, Telstra.com.au (Australia's largest Telco), Seek.com.au (Australia's largest employment site), top100.com.au, hitwise.com, and a dozen other internet start-ups before founding Gizmag in 2002. Now he writes and thinks.

I think this release is my cue to join the ranks of evangelical iPhone owners. Will be interesting to see the pricing for the Australian market.

Karen Sprey

It seems very cheap with some good features. Does anyone know about it's price in India.

Shane

Well Apple iPhones...welcome to the millenium!
All these gee-whiz features that all your users are clamoring about are features that have been available on Windows Mobile devices for over 10 years now!
Copy and paste, voice control, MMS, Tethering, 3mp cameras, video recording...Yep, I've had all that and more on my HTC Tilt for 2 years or more!
It's funny how the apple crowd gets tunnel vision and run around believing that if apple didn't invent it, then it must not exist....I have news for you people...look around you, there is innovative technology going on all around you! Just have an open mind and see! You'ld be suprised!
Ed

Ed

Hey Ed - Which is it 10 years or 2? I'm a long-time Win CE user (since '99) and a two (2) year HTC user. Windows Mobile was great. iPhone "There's an app for that" (for 99 cents) is better now. Just have an open mind and see! You'ld be suprised! (sic)!

Facebook User

Both...
Some of the "advances" of the iPhone have been available on handhelds and cellphones for over 10 years (my Motorola StarTac had voice dialing) And my HTC has has MMS, Tethering, 3MP camera (including video) and copy/paste since I got it almost 2 years ago! Any while "there's an app for that" I have to ask "why?" Why do I need an app to check if a movie is playing at a theater? My phone has a browser...I can just hit fandango.com! Or if I'm using Opera, I just tap the widget that links me to Yahoo movies. And you know what? All of that is FREE on every other phone except for the iPhone!
Ive been using mobile handheld devices since the early 90s...Anyone remember the AT&T EO? I still have one...it is a remarkable piece of electronics...It started this whole mobile thing! I have the first Windows mobile CE device...An HP 300LX. I also have the 320LX. And all three devices do copy and paste...(the EO even did landscape keyboard as well! although you didn't really need it since the handwriting recognition was pretty gook) I also have a Newton. Now that is a piece of technology! To this day it is not even imitated.
So yeah...when it comes to mobile devices, I have quite a varied history...so when I see the iPhone and it's crippled functionality, I can only shake my head in disbelief that people freely accept these faults and still call the iPhone great!
come-on people...the first iPhone didn't even do 3G! And 3G was out for over a year when the iPhone came out!
Ed

Ed

I totally agree Ed... And yet, because the iPhone came with the best data plan in my area, I bought one. And I've never looked back. This is by far the best gadget I've ever owned. 6 months in and I still play with it incessantly, it's such a joy to use. I'm still finding out new surprise areas in which it excels.

It's a brilliant phone - despite all its gaping holes and glaring faults (battery life, for example, is absolutely woeful and I'm forever fighting my girlfriend for the car charger) - and it makes everything else - EVERYTHING - feel secondhand and clunky. Windows Mobile? Ugh. I'll take this flawed piece of genius anyday, it's the first smartphone that's got it right - and the other companies will be scrambling to catch up for years to come.